Abu al-Tayyib al-Tabari exceeded the age of 100 yet his intellect remained very much intact, as did his strength. One day he leapt off a large ship he was on onto the ground. When reprimanded for this, he said, “We preserved these limbs from disobedience in our youth, so Allaah preserved them for us in our old age.”

And he died at the age of 102, and he retained his intellect and understanding and physical abilities, giving fataawa and working until he died. And he once rode a ship and when he disembarked from it, he leapt a leap which not even a youth could do! So it was said to him, “What was that, O Abu al-Tayyib?!”

So he replied, “These are the limbs which we preserved (from committing sins) in our youth, so they benefit us in our old age.” May Allaah have mercy on him.